BEVERLY, Mass. (AP) — A local businessman has proposed building a solar farm in Beverly that he says could power close to 500 homes.

The Salem News reports (http://bit.ly/XbWhe0) that the farm would feature 8,000 solar panels on eight acres of the wooded property near the Wenham line.

Land owner Stanley Bialek said the panels in the roughly $6 million project would be built in the middle of his property and won’t be visible from the road.

Beverly Mayor Bill Scanlon said the city would be open to discussions about purchasing the power.

The local conservation commission has already approved the plan, but the planning board needs to sign off on it and Bialek is seeking financing.